From the time he wrote ‘Walden – Life in the Woods’ philosopher Henry David Thoreau understood the restorative value of trees to the human soul. More than 100 years later researchers are discovering that a pleasurable walk among trees and green space can calm an active child, refresh a tired mind, and make all of us feel better. The view of a tree outside a window can make an office worker more productive, a hospital stay shorter, or a prison sentence more bearable. Even in the most deprived inner city, trees and green space around buildings reduce crime and violence as well as promote a sense of community and well-being. In our series, Tales from Urban Forests, Jean Snedegar explores the power of trees to restore us, body and mind.

Program Credits

The Urban Forest Healing Center was produced by Jean Snedegar. The show was mixed by Jared Weissbrot. It originally aired as part of our series Tales From Urban Forests, produced with support from the USDA Forest Service.

With People in Mind: Design and Management for Everyday Natureby: Rachel Kaplan, Stephen Kaplan 1998This book explores how to design and manage areas of "everyday nature"-parks and open spaces, corporate grounds, vacant lots and backyard gardens, fields and forests-in ways that are beneficial to and appreciated by humans. Rachel Kaplan and Stephen Kaplan, leading researchers in the field of environmental psychology, along with Robert Ryan, a landscape architect and urban planner, provide a conceptual framework for considering the human dimensions of natural areas.